A solution to towns' soaring health costs in Massachusetts

Globe cuts 24 jobs in newsroom via buyouts

Globe cuts 24 jobs in newsroom via buyoutsBy Robert Gavin, Globe StaffThe Boston Globe reduced its newsroom staff by 24 people, or 6 percent, through a buyout that included several of its most prominent and longtime journalists, including two Pulitzer Prize winners, columnist Eileen McNamara and investigative reporter Stephen Kurkjian.

Conference Board index slips

Conference Board index slipsEconomic growth to advance modestly this year, research group finds An index meant to foreshadow the direction of the U.S. economy said today that growth will advance modestly this year, but will be hobbled by sluggish manufacturing and weakness throughout the housing industry.

PALO ALTO / Packard, Stanford nurses reject offer

PALO ALTO / Packard, Stanford nurses reject offerBy Michael CabanatuanNurses at Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital have overwhelmingly rejected a final contract offer, their union announced Wednesday evening. The union, the independent Committee for Recognition of Nursing Achievement, called on the...

Jobless claims fall for 3rd straight wk. (AP)

Jobless claims fall for 3rd straight wk. (AP)AP - The number of laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell last week for the third consecutive time, signaling that the labor market may be stabilizing after a worrisome jump in layoffs earlier in the year.

Delta to share $480M with 39,000 employees

Delta to share $480M with 39,000 employeesAbout 39,000 Delta Air Lines employees will share $480 million in lump-sum payouts and equity in the company when the nation's third-largest carrier emerges from Chapter 11 protection in May, according to material to be disclosed in a bankruptcy court filing today. The cash payment for non-contract employees is based on 8 percent of their 2006 earnings, or a total of $130 million.

Black Caucus wants new subsidy formula in Illinois

Black Caucus wants new subsidy formulaIn the wake of a recent study that found Chicago and nearby suburbs with heavy job losses have been shortchanged in state economic development subsidies, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus will hold a hearing here today seeking to find out how to bring jobs to underserved communities.

State agencies investigating 'significant problem'

State agencies investigating 'significant problem'Misclassification of workers as independent contractors "is viewed as a significant problem" across the country, said Anita Bartels, acting program manager for employment tax policy with the Internal Revenue Service.

Economic View: Why Wage Insurance Is Dividing Democrats

Minnesota: State House panel OKs sick-leave bill

State House panel OKs sick-leave billA bill that would require employers to offer workers paid sick leave passed the Minnesota House Labor and Consumer Protection Division on Friday. The legislation would require employers to offer seven days of paid sick leave per year to full-time employees. Small employers would be required to provide three paid days off per year for a full-time worker.

Spat in Congress stalls minimum-wage hike

Spat in Congress stalls minimum-wage hikeWASHINGTON- In January, the House voted overwhelmingly to raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 over two years, and the Senate followed suit in February. President Bush said he would sign wage-hike legislation.

Michigan facing exodus of jobless

Michigan facing exodus of joblessLaid-off factory worker Bob Rose fiddles with an unlit cigar and strokes his salt-and-pepper beard as he contemplates his future in Michigan. He's not sure he has one.

German program gives unemployed community service

German program gives unemployed community serviceRainer Kaspar takes home only $850 a month for keeping the town fire engines ready to roll with charged batteries and full air tanks. But after two years out of work in Germany's stagnating east - where prospects are few - the sandy-haired mechanic says he was grateful to get the post under an experimental program in which this small town's long-term unemployed take community service jobs in return for their state jobless benefits.

Workers' drug use down after testing increases

Workers' drug use down after testing increasesFewer people are using drugs in the workplace, thanks to employer crackdowns and increased awareness of drug-testing programs. Workplace drug use hit a new low in 2006, according to the annual Drug Testing Index recently released by Quest Diagnostics, a workplace drug testing service.

To play interview safe, be vague about salary

To play interview safe, be vague about salaryWhether you're looking for a job as an accountant or a zoologist, there is one question you're sure to be asked sometime during, and even early in, the interview process: What are your salary expectations? How you deal with that query is crucial to ensuring that you don't get shortchanged if you're hired or left out of the considerations altogether.

Wage insurance a safety net for workers

Wage insurance a safety net for workersWhen Michael Maynard's company announced it was moving overseas, the 53-year-old machine technician from Massachusetts quickly found a job at another firm. As the sole provider for his wife and two daughters, Maynard jumped at the new opportunity, even though he had to take a pay cut of nearly $8 an hour

OSHA scarce at Houston plants

OSHA scarce at Houston plantsFederal regulators have not conducted inspections of the majority of area petroleum refineries, including the site of the BP Texas City explosion, over the last five years, a Chronicle review shows.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Ballmer says Google's hiring pace is 'insane'

Ballmer says Google's hiring pace is 'insane'Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said rival Google Inc.'s pace of employee growth is "insane," and the company has few successful businesses outside of Internet search and advertising.

Boeing Machinists to vote on new president

Boeing Machinists to vote on new presidentOne of the country's most powerful unions that represents Boeing Machinists in the Puget Sound area will vote on a new president at a time when jetliner orders are soaring, production rates are going up and workers want to be rewarded.

Coping with the jerk at work

Coping with the jerk at workIf you've worked for long, you've probably had a boss or co-worker who was a complete, flaming jerk. Maybe she always scowled as if she smelled something bad while reviewing your work. Maybe he never missed a chance to berate you in front of others. Or he interrupted constantly when you were talking. Or sneaked up behind you at your desk. Or helped himself to your food.

Urban Poor Cope with Help from Informal Economy

Urban Poor Cope with Help from Informal EconomyNPR audio:A Columbia University sociologist gives an inside view of informal economies which are central to life in the inner city. It's not just drug dealing and loan sharking that's off the books -- it's child care, hair braiding, oil changes and house cleaning.

Getting Paid Off the Books in America

Getting Paid Off the Books in AmericaNPR audio:On a recent day in Washington, D.C., Carlos Juarez of Guatemala waited on a street corner to find day labor. Juarez is part of America's underground economy. So are casual sports gamblers. Office worker Gary Gibbs, speaking at a Maryland sports bar, says that betting in an office pool might be illegal, but it's like jaywalking.

Money on the Side: Common, and Unprosecuted

Money on the Side: Common, and UnprosecutedNPR audio:If it's a crime, why aren't more people going to jail? Michele Norris talks with University of Chicago Law professor Richard Epstein about some of the legal questions raised by the United States' underground economy.

Ford workers seek retraining aid

Ford workers seek retraining aidIn StarTribune.com BusinessFord union workers in St. Paul said they will continue to demand state retraining help for 900 workers displaced in recent weeks by Ford's separation buyout packages. Under state rules, workers taking buyouts aren't eligible for Minnesota unemployment pay and therefore aren't eligible for its retraining and job-placement help under the Dislocated Workers Program. Roger Terveen, president of UAW Local 879, said the union is fighting that decision.

Airbus Workers Stage Europe-Wide Strikes

Airbus Workers Stage Europe-Wide StrikesBy By JOHANNA DECORSE, Associated Press WriterWorkers at Airbus plants in France, Germany and Spain staged strikes and protests Friday maintaining a united front against a restructuring plan the troubled aircraft maker said would slash 10,000 jobs across Europe. The actions at Airbus facilities...

Thursday, March 15, 2007

World Business Briefing | Asia: China: Industrial Output Surges Again

World Business Briefing Asia: China: Industrial Output Surges AgainBy BLOOMBERG NEWSChina’s industrial output rose 18.5 percent in January and February, the National Bureau of Statistics said, after gaining 14.7 percent in December. That beat the 15 percent median estimate of 20 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. In February, China’s exports jumped the most they had in 12 years, and domestic sales accelerated.

Delta files notice of pension relief

Delta files notice of pension reliefDelta Air Lines, which terminated its pilots pension plan, said Thursday it has contributed an extra $50 million to its pension plan covering ground employees and flight attendants. The Atlanta-based company also said that it filed its election to obtain the pension relief approved by Congress last year. Delta has said it needed to terminate its pilots' defined benefit pension plan to successfully emerge from bankruptcy. The government's pension insurer took over the obligations for the pilots' pension plan in January.

Workers who can’t afford to retire staying past 65, survey shows

Workers who can’t afford to retire staying past 65, survey showsNearly one in five small businesses say their workers are staying on the job past age 65. And about one in three of the businesses responding to a survey released this morning said their older employees are still working because they can’t afford to retire.

Automakers warn Congress on plans

Automakers warn Congress on plansProposal to toughen fuel-efficiency rules could cost jobs, House panel is told U.S. automakers and a top union official told Congress yesterday that the auto industry cannot deal alone with global warming, and they warned that proposed fuel efficiency increases could cost jobs.

New MBAs awash in offers

New MBAs awash in offersHeavy recruiting sends pay soaring Wall Street recruiters can be as aggressive as professional football players, says Chris Eitzmann, who will receive a master of business administration degree in May from Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business.

GM Wants to Reduce Health Care Costs

GM Wants to Reduce Health Care CostsBy By TOM KRISHER, AP Business WriterGeneral Motors Corp. will try to reduce its staggering employee and retiree health care liabilities in upcoming contract talks with the United Auto Workers, according to a government regulatory filing Thursday. The world's largest automaker also said...

Ex-Ford workers seek aid to retrain

Where the Wolf Comes Knocking

Where the Wolf Comes Knocking By David Cho and Nell HendersonThe big question is: How bad will it get? So far, the rising mortgage defaults that panicked markets this week have been concentrated in areas of the country already reeling from layoffs in the automobile industry and in hurricane-stricken states on the Gulf Coast. In Mississippi and Louisiana, about 1 in 10 homeowners are failing to make their payments, fresh data show. Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, the nation's industrial heartland and the states suffering the country's highest unemployment, aren't far behind. ...

Producer prices rise in February (Reuters)

Producer prices rise in February (Reuters)Reuters - Higher energy costs pushed producer prices up by a bigger-than-expected 1.3 percent in February and there was a large drop in the number of initial jobless claims filed last week, Labor Department data on Thursday showed.

U.S. Groups Hope to Detour Mexican Trucks

U.S. Groups Hope to Detour Mexican TrucksNPR audio:Lawmakers held hearings on the Bush administration's plan to allow Mexican trucks full access to U.S. highways. The move is opposed by Democratic lawmakers and labor unions.

Workplace Woes: The Prying Boss

Workplace Woes: The Prying BossNPR audio:What do you do with a boss who insists on prying and wanting to know what's going on in your private life? It could be a sign that she's lonely -- or that she's concerned about your job performance.

China aims to lower urban unemployment rate

China aims to lower urban unemployment rateChina seeks to create 9 million jobs and decrease the jobless rate to 4.6 percent. About 24 million Chinese will be competing for just 12 million jobs that are expected to be created, Labor Minister Tian Chengping said today.

When your job spans the globe, are you ever off the clock?

When your job spans the globe, are you ever off the clock?The sun never sets on Lisa Ray’s workday. As a sales director in Chapel Hill, N.C., for a high-tech company, with contacts scattered across Asia and Europe, Ray worked 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. one recent day, then flew to a business dinner in Chicago.

Kansas City Labor Scene: Demand for workers is dropping

Demand for workers is droppingThe spring hiring outlook appears to be stagnant for the Kansas City area, according to a recent survey of area employers.

Assets of 35 pension systems are targeted in Massachusetts

Assets of 35 pension systems are targetedBy Ross Kerber and Matt Carroll, Globe StaffThe assets of 35 pension systems, including those of Plymouth County, the Essex Regional Retirement Board, Newton, and Andover, would come under the control of a state trust in a proposal by the Patrick administration to boost returns, improve pension management, and provide fiscal relief to cities and towns, according to a new analysis prepared by the state retirement commission.

Shortage of workers may stretch many employers

Shortage of workers may stretch many employersBy Robert Weisman, Globe StaffAmerican businesses are largely unprepared for a seismic workforce change that will get underway in the coming decade, as tens of millions of baby boomers retire and far fewer new employees arrive to take their place.

Moving into retirement

Moving into retirementBy Ross Kerber, Globe StaffNearly a quarter of workers retire early because of health problems, according to a survey released by Fidelity Investments yesterday, a finding likely to fuel a growing debate over how much Americans need to save for their retirement years.

Naps, not coffee, boost productivity

Naps, not coffee, boost productivityIf you're dragging at work, try grabbing a pillow instead of a gulping down a latte. Catching some Z's at the office might seem like the worst thing to do when you're behind, but napping can actually improve worker productivity, according to sleep scientist Sara C. Mednick, a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Minnesota job vacancies dip

Minnesota job vacancies dipMinnesota job seekers are battling for fewer jobs - and most don't pay much. The state issued its twice-a-year look at job vacancies Friday, concluding that job seekers had less to choose from in the fourth quarter than they did in the same period in the prior year.

Globe union launches ad effort against outsourcing

Globe union launches ad effort against outsourcingThe Boston Globe's biggest labor union has begun an advertising campaign decrying the paper's plan to outsource the jobs of about 50 workers to India. In radio ads that began yesterday and in an ad published today in the Boston Herald, the Boston Newspaper Guild urges Globe readers and advertisers to call the newspaper and its parent company,

Friday, March 09, 2007

Unemployment declines as paychecks grow

Unemployment declines as paychecks growThe unemployment rate dipped to 4.5 percent and workers got fatter paychecks in February, even as bad winter weather sent a bit of a chill through U.S. job growth.

Labor data mixed ahead of jobs report

Reuters - Labor market data was mixed on Thursday ahead of the closely watched U.S. jobs report for February, due on Friday morning.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Frank's bill seeks curbs on CEO pay

Frank's bill seeks curbs on CEO payBy Associated PressWASHINGTON -- The head of the House Financial Services Committee and 21 other Democrats yesterday proposed legislation to give shareholders at public companies a formal say in executives' compensation packages.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Jobless claims rise 7,000 (Reuters)

Jobless claims rise 7,000 (Reuters)Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing for first-time jobless benefits rose 7,000 last week, pushing the four-week moving average of new claims to its highest level in more than a year, a government report showed on Thursday.

U.S. manufacturing expanded in February (AP)

U.S. manufacturing expanded in February (AP)AP - The nation's manufacturing sector shook off the housing slowdown in February, expanding faster than expected and reversing the prior month's contraction, a trade group said Thursday.

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